We Lost Nico
by ImaginePercabeth
Summary: Percy gets tickets for himself, Annabeth, and Nico to visit FunFun's Play Place for Kids before they meet Thalia at camp. But what happens when Percy and Annabeth lose Nico in the ball pit? One-shot!


"Don't go too far, okay? Thalia will kill us if we don't get back to Camp on time." Annabeth told Nico for what seemed like the 900th time. They were at _FunFun's Play Place for Kids _for Nico's 15th birthday. Percy had thought it would be hilarious to get the son of Hades three tickets (for him, Nico, and Annabeth) for a place like this – and it was, but he didn't get the reaction he expected… Nico loved the place. They're all walking to the giant ball pit before they needed to go back to Camp to meet a couple new kids and give them a sword fighting demonstration.

"OH MY GODS YES!" Nico screamed as he jumped head first in to the ball pit. Annabeth laughed, wrapping her hand to Percy's.

"Who would have thought?" She asked.

Percy was still bewildered. "I guess it's a… good thing. That kid needs to get out more."

"Should I tell him you said that?"

"Gods, no."

"Seaweed Brain, now you _know _I'm going to tell him."

"Really? Maybe not if you're distracted…" Percy smiled mischievously before pulling her in to the pit.

"Percy!" She yelped, but didn't resist too hard, allowing herself to get dragged in. She glared murderously at him and jumped on his shoulders, pushing him under. After a little less them a minute he managed to find his way back up, gasping.

"Breathing underwater doesn't include ball bits, Wise Girl!" He said, exasperated. His expression was absolutely priceless, and Annabeth fell over laughing, grasping at the wall for support. Some how they made there way back on to solid ground above the pit, while still laughing so hard their sides hurt. Annabeth stopped abruptly, yanking Percy's arm over to look at his watch. Her eyes widened – 5:50. They're supposed to be at camp at 6:00.

"Percy! We have to get Nico _now_."

"Why would we- oh. Right!"

"Nico!"

"Nico!  
>"Nico!"<p>

"NICO DI ANGELO!" Percy gave up and flung himself on a beanbag, brushing off the stares from the mortals.

"This isn't working." Annabeth sighed, frustrated.

"Annabeth. We _lost_ Nico. _We lost him_." Percy looked around frantically – Thalia was going to **kill **him. Percy turned around in circles, searching for a black mob of hair. Nothing.

"Thalia's gonna kill us. Thalia's gonna kill us. Thalia's gonna kill us!" He danced around nervously.

"Would you _quit_ it, you moron? He's probably just in the pit."

"Right!" Percy said hopefully, running towards the pit at full speed.

"I'M COMING NICO. STAY STRONG!" And cannon balled in. Annabeth was torn between also jumping in, rolling her eyes, and hyperventilating. Look, Nico was great, but she didn't exactly want him on his own in a ball pit, nor did she want to deal with Thalia hurting them. She glanced at a clock on the far side of the wall; 6:01. Great. Think, Annabeth. Think. If she was Nico, where would she go? The ball pit. _No, Percy would have found him already. _The Underworld. _No, that's not it. Even a son of Hades wouldn't go there on his birthday_. Camp Half-Blood. _No, Nico wouldn't just leave us. He's smarter than that. _Panic was setting in and her thoughts were getting jumbled. She jogged over to the pit just in time to see Percy swim/run through the colorful plastic toys in the direction of a mass of black hair. _I was wrong, he found him!_ But as Percy wrapped his hands around the kid's waist and hoisted him up, Annabeth remembered: She was rarely wrong. The seven year old was shell shocked and as soon as Percy realized it wasn't Nico, he accidentally dropped the kid straight back in to the toys.

"He's short, Seaweed Brain, but not that short." Annabeth teased.

"Ha. Ha. This is SERIOUS, Anna. _I LOST NICO. _HADES IS GOING TO KILL ME. THALIA IS GOING TO KILL ME. CHIRON'S GOING TO KILL ME. MRS. O'LEARY IS GOING TO KILL ME. ANNABETH, I'M FREAKING OUT." He started hyperventilating.

"Keep calm, Perce. I'm sure it'll be fine, we'll figure it out." She tried to reassure, but was freaking out herself inside. "Maybe he, uh, maybe he-"

"Guys?" They jumped, whipping around to see the speaker. Nico Di'Angelo.

"Where. Were. You?" Annabeth said through gritted teeth.

"Food court." He grinned goofily, proudly showing off the hot dog in his hand. "Want some?"

"You know it!" Percy's stomach got the better of him and he had just taken a bite out of the tip of the hot dog when he saw the clock and everything fell in to place. Thalia. Camp. Sword Fighting at 6:00. It was 6:34.

Schist.


End file.
